2025-08-20 3:42 PM <br/> Tags: #people #Israel #Intel #Mossad ![[image-90.png|268x402]] # Teddy Kollek (1911-2007) - Teddy Kollek was a pivotal Israeli operative in the U.S. in the 1940s, a founder of Israel's intelligence services, and the longtime mayor of Jerusalem. - - Kollek was born in Hungary and raised in Vienna. - Theodor "Teddy" Kollek was named after the founder of political Zionism [[Theodor Herzl]]. - Kollek moved to British controlled Palestine in 1935. #### Pre-Statehood Intel and American Jewry - At the onset of WWII Kollek collaborated with Nazi SS official Adolf Eichmann on an agreement allowing thousands of Jews to leave Germany. - Eichmann was later captured by the Mossad in Argentina after the war. He was publicly tried and executed in Israel for his alleged role in the holocaust. - In 1942 Kollek became deputy head of [[Jewish Agency]] intelligence. - In 1945 [[David Ben-Gurion]] chose Kollek to operate an American arms smuggling network on behalf of the [[Haganah]]. - The network involved: - [[Rudolf Sonneborn]] and the [[Sonneborn Institute]] - [[Nahum Bernstein]] - former OSS (CIA precursor) agent - [[Abraham Feinberg]] - financier - [[Dewey Stone]] - Meyer Lansky and the Jewish mob - Kollek set up front organizations "Land and Labor for Israel" and "Materials for Palestine Inc." for the purposes of smuggling weapons. - The US had an arms embargo on both the Jews and Arabs at the time. The network operated by Kollek was illegally circumventing the embargo. - Kollek helped to fund [[Abraham Feinberg]]'s publication *Israel Speaks*, a successor to Feinberg's publication *Haganah Speaks*. - Both were Israeli propaganda publications. - [[Nahum Bernstein]] was the secretary of the *Israel Speaks*. >[!Info] Frank Sinatra and Teddy Kollek >- In 1948 Kollek used [[Frank Sinatra]] to evade the FBI. >- Kollek was being constantly surveilled by the FBI for his Haganah connections at this point. >- Kollek needed to pay the captain of an Irish ship; which would then sail to Israel and deliver an arms shipment. >- Kollek asked Sinatra to make the payment of $1 million in cash ($13.5 million today) to the captain. >- Kollek and Sinatra left at the same time from different doors, the FBI only following Kollek. >- Sinatra made the payment and the arms were shipped to Israel. (Gabbay 2022) - Kollek was able to escape the US back to Israel as he later wrote "before the FBI got its hands on me." - Some of his operatives like [[Al Schwimmer]] and [[Charles Winters]] were caught by the US authorities and convicted for violating the Neutrality Act of 1939. - Kollek's activities to arm the Haganah in the leadup to the [[1948 Arab Israeli War]] were critical in securing Jewish supremacy regarding weaponry. - Without these smuggling efforts Israel may have not been able to wage its founding war. #### Intel involvement after 1948 - Kollek was one of the main founders of Israel's intelligence apparatus in 1949. - Kollek was key in founding [[Mossad]] and its early ties to the CIA. - Kollek formed the first ties between the CIA and Mossad. - In 1950 he began heading the Israeli Foreign Ministry's "US Division." - In 1951-52 he was the Minister posted at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. - He formed close personal relations with the CIA's Allen Dulles, Walter Smith, and especially [[James Angleton]]. - Kollek returned to Israel and from 1952-64 served as director-general of PM [[David Ben-Gurion]]'s office. - In this position he was one of Ben Gurion's closest aides. - Kollek's high position within the Israeli government made him privy to covert operations including: - The plannings for the [[1956 Suez War]] - The [[Israel and the Nuclear Bomb|clandestine Israeli nuclear project]]. To this effect Kollek worked to collect funds from American Jews like [[Abraham Feinberg]] for the nuclear project. - The Mossad operation to capture Adolf Eichmann, whom Kollek once collaborated with decades prior. - At his Israeli government positions Kollek liaised with American Jewish organizations like: - [[United Jewish Appeal (UJA)]] - [[Israel Bonds]] - [[American Zionist Council (AZC)]] - Kollek helped to form the Israel Ministry of Tourism in the 1960s. - The Ministry of Tourism is essentially a propaganda department. #### Teddy Kollek Mayor of Jerusalem - Kollek ran for, and won the 1965 Jerusalem mayoral election, - Kollek ran at the behest of [[David Ben-Gurion]]. - Kollek served as Mayor for 28 years from 1965-93. - At first Kollek was only mayor of the Jewish-controlled West Jerusalem. - After the [[1967 Six Day War]], he became mayor of both sides of the city. - As mayor, in 1966 Kollek established the [[Jerusalem Foundation]]. - NYC mayor [[Ed Koch]], an ally of Kollek, described him as "the mayor of all mayors." - Kollek is widely celebrated in Israel to this day. ![[image-92.png|641x416]] *Kollek and George HW Bush during a 1992 meeting.* #### References - _Spying Among Two Close Friends._ CIA-RDP91-00587R000100030046-0. 2016. CIA Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room. Document Creation Date: December 22; Release Date: March 8, PDF file. Accessed August 20, 2025. [https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp91-00587r000100030046-0](https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/cia-rdp91-00587r000100030046-0) - “Teddy Kollek.” _The Guardian_, January 3, 2007. [https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/jan/03/guardianobituaries.israel](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/jan/03/guardianobituaries.israel) - Gabbay, Nati. 2022. _His Way: Frank Sinatra in the Service of Israel._ National Library of Israel (blog), June 7. Accessed August 20, 2025. [https://blog.nli.org.il/en/hoi_sinatra/](https://blog.nli.org.il/en/hoi_sinatra/). - “Teddy Kollek.” _Encyclopedia Britannica_. Accessed August 20, 2025. [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Teddy-Kollek](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Teddy-Kollek) - Cohen, Avner. _Israel and the Bomb._ New York: Columbia University Press, 1998. - Feinberg, Abraham. _A Political Memoir: Special Interests and the Presidency._ New York: Stein and Day, 1982. - Sachar, Howard M. _A History of Jews in America._ New York: Knopf, 1992. - Stone, Dewey D. _Personal Papers and Memoirs_, American Jewish Historical Society Archives, Waltham, MA. - Bernstein, Nahum. “Memo on U.S. Training Activities for the Haganah,” 1947. American Jewish Archives. - Ravid, Barak. “How Teddy Kollek Built Jerusalem.” _Haaretz_, January 4, 2007. - Jerusalem Foundation. _Teddy Kollek and the Building of Jerusalem._ Jerusalem: Jerusalem Foundation, 1995. - _Obituary: Teddy Kollek, Prolific Builder of Jerusalem,_ _Jewish Telegraphic Agency_, January 3, 2007, accessed August 20, 2025.